The history of our monsters
Remember the excitement of autumn back in your childhood years?
Fall brought pumpkins, falling leaves, and a fun holiday when you could morph into anything you desired. With a mental image of the character selected, you devised a brilliant Halloween costume idea. There were parties, caramel apples, and chewy peanut butter kisses, and breakfast.
Monster breakfasts.
As a super cool, intelligent kid, you asked your parents for Count Chocula, Franken Berry and Boo Berry. They would help jump start your brain to eagerly learn in the classroom.
And, you had to try all three flavors, right? How else would you know your favorite?
The nostalgia brought on by the autumn season sparked my curiosity, and I did some checking into the history of our monster cereals.
Count Chocula and Franken Berry were both introduced in March 1971. These two flavors were the only chocolate and strawberry flavored cereals on the market. Pre-sweetened blends of oats and corn, they provided eight essential vitamins plus iron.
The first blueberry flavored cereal, Boo Berry, was launched in December 1972.
According to Terry Kirihara, director of research and development for Big G, the monster cereals were initially the same cereal shape but with their different colors and flavors (along with color-matched marshmallow bits).
All shapes were small cylinders shaped like a circle with a cross in the middle (the monster cereals are now character-shaped).
They were created following the success of Lucky Charms, which also had marshmallow bits and were a consumer favorite.
Early commercials, like this one, helped the monster cereals gain traction in the marketplace. And, who could forget the commercial with the “Boo Hooter” prize?
I also found a record titled “Monster Adventures in Outer Space.”
You can hear part of it in this clip we found on YouTube.
Other monster cereal line extensions were eventually launched (such as Fruit Brute and Fruity Yummy Mummy), but were discontinued.
Count Chocula, Franken Berry and Boo Berry were available year round for about 35 years. Today, the cereals make an appearance just in time for Halloween.
What are your memories of our monster cereals?
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